96 pages • 3 hours read
Susan Beth PfefferLife As We Knew It
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
Life As We Knew It
- Genre: Fiction; YA science fiction/speculative
- Originally Published: 2006
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 770L; grades 7-12
- Structure/Length: 21 chapters; approx. 352 pages; approx. 9 hours on audio
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: Told through the first-person journal entries of 16-year-old Miranda, the story details the struggle to survive a catastrophic asteroid event that results in the destruction of Earth’s coastal cities, premature winter from volcanic ash, and the consequent failure of many societal infrastructures. When a flu epidemic further threatens her family, Miranda must take drastic action to try to save her mother and brothers.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death and dying; suicide; natural disaster; epidemic
Susan Beth Pfeffer, Author
- Bio: Born in New York in 1948; published first novel while still in college at New York University (Just Morgan, 1970); moved to Middletown, New York, after earning her university degree and established a life-long writing career; has written more than 75 novels, many of which feature family relationships and conflicts; has written picture books, YA novels, and a how-to for adults on writing
- Other Works: About David (1980); Courage, Dana (1983); Family of Strangers (1992); Sara Kate Saves the World (1995); Justice for Emily (1997); The Dead and the Gone (sequel to Life As We Knew It; 2008); Blood Wounds (2011)
- Awards: Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Books for Young Adults (2007); Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Science Fiction or Fantasy Book (shortlisted; 2007)
